A gurgly sound usually means a flooded tank. It may well be that the o-ring is the issue.
Clearomizer Troubleshooting and Tips:
"Flooding" is a common occurrence in e-cigarettes. The definition of flooding is getting juice into the air passage of the tank. This can include any point between the mouth piece and the very bottom part that connects to the battery. Each tank has holes in that air passage, where the wicks pass through. This is required for the device to work properly. Unfortunately, this opens up the possibility for flooding. The trick with flooding, is knowing how to avoid it.
Improper Filling: When filling your tank, you have to be careful not to get juice into the center tube of the tank. This center tube is the air passage. When you take a draw, air comes from the bottom of the tank, through the air passage and into your mouth. If you get juice into this passage way, your tank is flooded.
Over Filling: If you over fill a tank (specifically a top coil like the ones that come with the starter kits and gift boxes), the wicks can become over saturated and just like a rain cloud, they will leak into the air passage. Once this happens, you have a flooded tank.
Pulling Too Hard: As I mentioned the wicks absorb the juice in the tank. As you pull on the device, you cause a vacuum effect that pulls juice into the wicks. If you pull too hard, you can pull in more juice then the coil can vaporize. If this happens, the juice leaks into the air passage and you have a flooded tank. Try a more gentle draw.
Temperature: E-Juice is a viscous liquid. Which means that as it warms up, it will thin out. And in the opposite form, it will thicken when it gets cold. When it thins, it is more difficult for the wicks to hold back the thin juice. This usually causes the wicks to over saturate and, you guessed it, it will leak into the air passage and you have a flooded tank.
Damage: There are o-rings and gaskets used that can wear out with usage. If certain ones fail or get lost, leaking will occur, in turn flooding the air passage and causing you to have a flooded tank. Other than accidentally losing something, damage can occur when its carried in a purse or a pocket or by over tightening the tank to the battery or over tightening the coil in the tank. Over tightening is a common cause of leaking due to the damage it creates.
"Dry" or "burnt" hits are also a common occurrence in e-cigarettes. This happens when an inadequate quantity of e-liquid reaches the coil. This can occur from using an e-liquid which is too thick for a tank, intake holes for the e-liquid being inadequate, or using a bad wick or coil. Doing "primer puffs", which is taking a puff or two without power on, may eliminate this phenomenon.
Should you determine that the o-ring is in the proper place, take the tank off of your mod, turn the tank upside down, and shake it towards the floor. This should remove any excess e-liquid in the air chamber. Alternatively, you could use a Q-Tip or rolled up paper towel down into the air chamber to absorb any excess.
A "harsh vape" could be a number of things. Too high nic used, too many watts used, too much Pg, inadequate air flow.
Sorry that your first vapes with your new setup were not what you planned. Be patient and persistant, you'll get this.
We always need a backup setup. In fact, its the first rule of vaping. Vape gear tends to break down occassionally, and you don't want to put yourself in a situation where you will buy cigarettes to quench your urge to smoke.
